MINNESOTA'S
GREEN RACEThe
Urban Wildland Half Marathon & 5K was founded in 2003 to save the
partnership between Wood Lake Nature Center and the Richfield Public
Schools to provide environmental education curriculum to the
student. The race itself has become an opportunity to demonstrate
environmentally-friendly practices. All materials are either
recyclable, reusable, or compostable, most of the food served at the
event is organic, and every aspect of the race has been considered in
an effort to leave a gentle footprint on the environment. Race
Director Amy Markle has advised several other races about presenting an
earth-friendly event.

CARBON CAPTURE GARDENTrees capture tons of CO2. That's why we call attention to the Santa
Familia Primary School Kanan Kaax Model Teaching Garden in Cayo,
Belize, where they teach kids about hardwood tree gardening. Dominant Maya forest trees, like Mahogany, Zapote, Jobo,
Chicle, and many others, capture tons of CO2. The garden is used
to teach kids the time-honored practices of forest gardening. Photos of students in the Teaching Garden.

VIRTUAL RUNNER BAGS
Each runner
receives an email with links to sponsor deals made available only to our
registrants.

ORGANIC FOODAll leftover food is donated to a local charity.

SOLAR POWER
The UWHM5K is
off-the-grid. All electricity required at the
finish line (chip timing and music) is generated with solar power, thanks to
Powerfully Green.

SHIRT & SHOE RECYCLING
Bring your old shirts and
shoes to the race. USAgain will collect them at packet pickup (Friday
or Saturday) to be reused, recycled, or reworn. For every pound of
clothing collected, seven pounds of CO2 emissions are prevented.

COMPOST, REUSE, RECYCLE
All race materials are either compostable, reusable, or recyclable
(with help from Waste Management). Water stop cups are made of
compostable sugar cane material, finish line water is served in cups made of
compostable corn material, and other plastic and paper products are
recycled.